Then, tragedy struck. According to published reports, Cornell’s wife tried to get a hold of him at some point that night, but couldn’t. She reached out to a friend, who forced their way into his hotel room at the MGM Grand Hotel where they found him on the floor of the bathroom with a band tied around his neck. Chris Cornell was gone. He was only 52 years old.

In the immediate aftermath of Cornell’s death, between the glowing tributes to his abilities as a songwriter, his deep humanity, his natural charisma, his otherworldly voice, and the enomrous void he leaves behind in the realm of rock and roll, another sentiment broke out across social media; protect Eddie Vedder at all costs. Gallows humor perhaps, but one that cuts to a deep and unsettling question: What does the future hold for the grunge generation?

being the right age for “grunge” to hit in the early nineties – it will always hold a special place in my heart. i’ve long determined that it’s foundation was built on “it’s better to burn out than to fade away.” it was an incredible time in rock. it was never meant to be an old man’s game. which is perfect.

“It may be harsh to say, but you can find another drummer to replicate backbeats and fills. Pearl Jam have actually proved that time after time. You can replace your bassist and recreate rhythms. You can get a new guitarist to lay down riffs and toss off solos. It might not be the exact thing, but you can achieve a passable facsimile.”

Nope. This may be somewhat true in regard to drums (although it isn’t really, there are drummers out there who will blow away 99% of the competition, like Matt Cameron, so the band has got to pick a new drummer wisely if they must replace him). It may also be true for a band where the lead singer has complete creative control over the output of the band (writes all the lyrics and music). But have you ever heard Soundgarden play? Replacing Kim or Ben or Matt without destroying the unique sound and dynamic those guys have together would be nearly impossible. Soundgarden has a certain irreplicable atmosphere. Plus all of the guys in Soundgarden contribute lyrics and music. It’s an insulting myth created by non-musicians that guitar, bass, and drum players are basically interchangeable in all circumstances.

The death of Chris Cornell is tragic for so many reasons. There will never be another who sounds like him or who has his specific talents. But his death does not signal the end of grunge. He is gone, but the genre will live on in various ways, the most important being its influence on current and future musicians. Also, bubble wrapping Eddie isn’t going to do shit for grunge. Eddie’s best days are obviously behind him. Jerry Cantrell, on the other hand, would be a devastating loss to the genre.

And I should add before anybody points out that SG has gone through three bassists, that SG’s sound significantly changed from the earlier albums as a result. Badmotofinger was an entirely different beast compared to Louder than Love.